Shopping for hamster lovers

With December approaching, many of you have probably already started shopping for holiday gifts. I thought I’d make a list of hamster-themed gifts that you might want to put in your shopping list (or wishlist!)

Beware of the Hamster & Beware of the Dwarf Hamster Sign

These magnet and steel signs are great for hanging outside your room (if that’s where you place your hammies) or near the hamster area. Both measure 8.2 * 5.8 inches. I personally prefer the dwarf hamster one:

Chatimals The Talking Hamster Hampster

If hamster plushies are your thing, a Chatimal is much more entertaining than any Zhu Zhu pet. And it talks too! Watch this and tell me you don’t want one for yourself:

Hamtaro Anime DVD

Hamtaro is an anime series about a hamster and his friends and their many adventures. It’s one of the very few cartoons about hamsters that are actually good. Hamtaro is more than ten years old but is still pretty popular in some parts of Asia. I should have bought some Hamtaro stuff while I was in Japan!

Cute Hamster Calendar for 2017

I don’t usually like receiving calendars as gifts but I wouldn’t mind one like this. This calendar measures 7 x 7″ and features a cute hamster for every month of the year.

A Hamster Cookbook

I bought this book a while ago and haven’t had the chance to write a proper review. The book is full of photos and recipes of cute treats that you can make for your hamster. It’s kind of like a 2 in 1 gift if you get this since your hamster (or your friend’s) will be enjoying its results 😀

There are lots of fun things that you can do with your hamster. Here are a few ideas that will be fun for you and your furry little friend!

Use your body!Let your buddy crawl on you, and it will let him get to know you better by allowing him to feel and smell you. Hamsters can recognize your voice and scent, so this will be a great bonding experience

Make toys for your hamsterThere are lots of DIY hamster stuff that you can create and watch your hamster play with. You can easily make something for your little buddy by reusing old cardboard and paper tubes or if you’re up to it, try making a platform for your pet

Build a hamster fort with Puzzle Playground piecesThese are plastic pieces that can be combined to create different designs — kind of like Lego but made specially for small pets. You can get the Puzzle Playground here

Make homemade hamster treatsCombine a few hamster-safe human food in this list and come up with your own recipe for a homemade hamster treat. Your hamster will no doubt have a great time gobbling it up. You can also find lots of pre-made recipes in the book, “Happy Hamster”

Put the hamster in a hamster ball, and watch him run around like crazyMake sure he is in a safe area to roam around freely and don’t put him in the ball for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time to prevent tiring out your pet

Take your hamster outside and let him run around in the grassYou’ll need a play pen or a fence to prevent your hamster from escaping. Keep a close eye on him (even with the fence) to make sure he is safe and sound. Alternatively, bring the hamster ball outside!

Set up an obstacle course!Use toilet paper rolls, Legos, or anything you want. This is the time to let your creativity shine to make a fun maze for your hamster. Put a small treat at the finish line, and your buddy will love you for it

Have a photoshootPut your hamster in a small toy car or train. Put a few seeds in it so he can enjoy the ride while having a snack, then shoot away. You can set up all sorts of props besides cars and trains too. Even an eggshell could work:

Teach your hamster a trickHamsters are smart creatures and can learn many cool tricks. Make sure to have treats to reward him, which will make him more willing to listen to you. When he knows a few different tricks, put on a show for your friends.

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Here are some entry-level ideas, best done at the end of summer, when you have a supply of ice-cream sticks generously donated by yourself or your family! Of course, they can be bought en masse at any craft store, but that’s not nearly as delicious. What you can build is only really limited by your imagination, so go nuts!

4. Home-made Hamster Elevator

From here on out is utter madness. Let’s ease into it by watching a hamster learning to use a home-made elevator.

3. IKEA Expedit Cage

You’re looking at a spacious bit of converted IKEA furniture from a site called IKEA Hackers. It resembles a fish tank but is actually the final form of a shelving unit. The remaining shelves are to be used for filing, and honestly, I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t a hamster-sized work cubicle, as this all sits in someone’s study!

2. iMac Hamster Home

At one point, it was widely known that the internet is run by a series of tubes. Self-confessed Apple fan boy, nicknamed Sunder, has taken this to its logical extreme and put his hamster inside an iMac monitor, with food accessed by a series of tubes. This group of pictures really says it all, but Sunder also provides a detailed guide to doing this DIY project yourself!

1. Human Hamster Wheel

Uncontestably and completely the most ambitious DIY hamster project. A human hamster wheel. That can cross bodies of water. Let that sink in. A human hamster wheel.

The builder/inventor/apparent madman, Chris Todd, stated that this monstrosity took 11 months to construct and almost resulted in divorce. No word yet on what could have caused the marriage strain, though I suspect it was too much wheeling and dealing on Todd’s part.

There aren’t many toys around that let you play with your pet hamster outside of the cage. The most common accessory is a hamster ball, but that limits your interaction with the hammy while it’s outside. The Pop-up Playland combines a pop-up book and a playground to create a safe play area for your pet:

This video by Shawn and Olivia Kessler, co-inventors of the Pop-up Playland, explains how it works:

The creators of the Pop-up Playland are now raising funds to manufacture this product. If you would like to find out more or to support them, please visit the Pop-up Playland’s kickstarter page.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to Tokyo, Japan for holiday. Naturally, I went searching for unique hamster stuff to bring back home!

Before I went, I wanted to find out what I could get but I couldn’t find a guide for it so I thought I’d make mini one now for anyone who will be going to Tokyo and want to get some stuff for your hammy.

This is far from complete and only represents what I was able to find. If you know where to get more hamster stuff in Japan, please feel free to chime in in the comment section.

Photo of my haul:

Places with hamster stuff

Tokyu hands

Web site:http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en Tokyu hands a multi-storey department store. We went to the ones at Shinjuku and Shibuya and they had a pet section with some hamster stuff as well as cute dog treats. I also bought hamster stickers from their stationery section! Tokyu hands should be the most accessible because it’s in a lot of places and it’s really hard to miss. It sells almost everything so there are lots of other stuff as well if you don’t want to go to a place just to get hamster products.

Kojima Pets

Web site:http://pets-kojima.com We went to two Kojima pet stores in Kameido. They have a hamster section with some ‘Made in Japan’ food and accessories. There were live hamsters and other animals in store!

Gacchapon machines at Akihabara

This isn’t really a place but you can find lots of Gacchapon machines around Akihabara and there are a few that vend hamster keychains/phone straps

Bookoff (various locations)

Web site: http://www.bookoff.co.jp/en/ Bookoff sells tons of secondhand books and comics at unbelievable prices (starting 100 yen). The books are mainly in Japanese so this might not be for you if you’re not interested in the language. I was able to get quite a number of Japanese books and comics on hamsters at just $1 each.